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Old August 6, 2011, 09:06 PM   #1
The Terminator
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Feral cats.

I really don't know if you would consider them to be hunted, but my son sure did. He has never shared my life long interest in guns, hunting, or fishing. He is 16 now.

Well, lately, we have been taken over by cats. They were living under the house, getting in, having kittens, and being a nuisance. I live out in the country. One of the few month old kittens got into the house, and ran under the cabinets in the kitchen. There was a crack in the corner, where the kick boards should meet, and she got in there. The cat would not come out, and meowed for days on end. I don't know how she did not die of thirst. Later, I realized, she was coming out at night and eating and drinking dog food.

One day, I was talking on the phone with my son, and asked about the cat. It was still at it, and we were all on our last nerve. I told him that I was going to bait it with food, and shoot it with his BB gun and kill it. He has a Daisy Red Rider, from way back when.

He called an hour later, and said that the cat was dead. However, it had "crawled back under the cabinet, after he killed it." Well, we all know what that meant. It turns out, the cat was only hit in the shoulder, and crawled back out a few days later, and we put it outside. I, for one, absolutely, do not believe in making any animal suffer, whether it be killed as vermin, or for other purposes.

On the way home, the day of the cat shooting with the Red Rider, I stopped and bought a Crossman Pump Pistol. 10" barrel, a very sturdy pistol. Single shot, pellets only. 600 fps, compared to the Red Rider's 200 fps. I killed two of the cats from the back porch the day I got it. Now, here is where things get interesting.

My son killed 9 more cats with it in the following week, last week. I never thought that he would do it. He was sneaking around the house, sneaking on the roof of the house, and getting the drop on them, and dispatching them. All with head shots. Hm, I was impressed with the marksmanship. Now, over this, he is interested in hunting deer or hogs, and says that he understands the challenge and feeling that I get when I go hunting.

For one, I'm glad that he is enjoying shooting guns, even if it is a pellet pistol. Two, I'm really glad that it has him wanting to hunt game animals. Three, I knew at that instant, that he would not grow up to be a tree hugging, anti-.

Finally, just about the time that all of the cats have been done away with, another one that was still alive, had kittens, under the house. She dragged them to the front porch. My son cleaned them off, and put them back. He told me that he could not kill the babies like that. I was proud of that too. Well, of all things, a possum found the little cats and ate them. We had been seeing him around the house at night, and the baby cats disappeared. We put two and two together.
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Old August 6, 2011, 09:20 PM   #2
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well i thing its time you get your boy a real rifle and let him at some real targets
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Old August 6, 2011, 09:54 PM   #3
baddarryl
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I hate Feral cats. I had one that was picking on and beating up our house cat for quite sometime and since I live in the city did not feel like taking the risk of pulling out my .22. Having no air gun, I just had to let it go. I was very happy one day to see him pancaked in the road!
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Old August 6, 2011, 10:13 PM   #4
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The Terminator,
I don't know what kind of human residents that you have in your area, but while you're son's marksmanship increases, you might want to teach him the "3 S Rule".

Some people frown on shooting tabby targets or cat-hogs, as we call them in this area. All it takes is one phone call from some idiot that thinks they're saving/changing the planet.

I certainly hope this is not the case and you can continue your varmint population control, unmolested.

Good hunting, Bowhunter57
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Old August 6, 2011, 10:30 PM   #5
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While living in the city, I had a big old scarfaced tom that was putting a regular whupping on my old tomcat. It took a while, but I finally got into a one-on-one with old scarface and used my 20 caliber Sheridan pellet gun. Mission accomplished. Now, up here in the forest, I've had real feral cats causing problems. My newish 223 is just perfect for feral depopulation. Haven't seen any lately.
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Old August 6, 2011, 10:43 PM   #6
doofus47
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I guess your mice and raccoon worries are over...
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Old August 6, 2011, 11:46 PM   #7
T. O'Heir
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A Daisy Red Rider is a toy. You shouldn't ever have allowed its use, under any circumstances, for hunting anything. Never mind a cat. Feral or not.
The only thing you've taught a 16 year old kid is that killing is fun. He has learned nothing about ethics nor anything else.
"...had one that was picking on..." Don't be daft. Male cats fight over territory and she cats. They don't 'pick on' each other. Geezuz!
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Old August 6, 2011, 11:50 PM   #8
kraigwy
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Feral cats are considered vermin here. Like coyotes they can legally be shot on sight.

Idiots from town figure people in the country need more barn cats so they drop them off, they go wild and raise heck with game birds, baby turkeys and MY CHICKENS.

My wife chewed my butt for not spending more time thinning them out. She feeds birds and has bird houses all over the place. The day she saw a cat pawing baby birds out of her bird house I thought I was gonna have to sleep in the barn.

We need a cat killing party at lease once a year around here.
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Old August 7, 2011, 12:04 AM   #9
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"Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered". Bob Barker

Glad you son wants to hunt now. BTW he can be both a tree hugger and a hunter.
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Old August 7, 2011, 05:20 AM   #10
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It is a damn shame the way people dump cats off around here. I have been seeing more coyotes, maybe they will thin them out.
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Old August 7, 2011, 05:47 AM   #11
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there are also usually people(many times just a woman) who will come and get the cats for free or just pay for the cat(s) to be 'fixed' for free whether male or female. Really the only way to fix the problem. Of course, this might not always be an option in every area.
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Old August 7, 2011, 06:52 AM   #12
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I had to shoot a pregnant feral (no, not feral, just dumped) cat just a few weeks ago. She was getting aggressive toward my own cats. Poor thing had no choice, she knew she needed a home. I shot her. I buried her. I got misty eyed. Yes, I cried because I had to kill an animal which wanted nothing more than to be loved.

The problem is not the cats and dogs; it’s the scum bags who dump them.

They get a cute little kitten or puppy without considering that these turn into a cat or a dog and it’s not so cute anymore and it needs to be fed and watered and furnished with kitty litter or taken for a poopy walk and a caretaker furnished during a vacation and it isn’t fun anymore.

They never consider these things when they get the baby pet. Well, this type person seldom ever considers the consequences of their actions, anyway.

We’re spaying and neutering the wrong animals.
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Old August 7, 2011, 06:54 AM   #13
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Feral cat problem solver

In the mid-1960's, my great uncle had a serious problem with feral cats over-running his farm in n-e texas----they were not pets !!!!

So, he bought a mossberg model 500 pump shotgun in .410 gauge & two boxes of 3" #7.5 shot.

He told me "after i had shot about 15, the others got real skittish. So i waited until dark & put a can of cat food in a ford hubcap & set it about 25 feet from the front porch. After sundown, i sat in my chair & quietly waited until they gathered around the bowl. Flipped on the porch light & went to work with that .410 pump-gun. By dawn the next morning, i was cat-free, except for my old tabby that hid out in the barn, while all the ruckus was going on"

needless to say, while he was telling me the story, in his strong texas drawl, i was laughing so hard i was crying.

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Old August 7, 2011, 08:48 AM   #14
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Quote:
We need a cat killing party at lease once a year around here.
Used to have a couple a year at my grandpas when I was younger, they are badly needed in most rural areas.
Between myself, my grandpa , two of my brothers, an uncle and my dad, we got over 70 one day just around the barn and the house.
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Old August 7, 2011, 09:52 AM   #15
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Problem Understood !!!

I certainly understand the problem but not sure about the question. I have had more than my share of cat problems. Here in Eastern Iowa, we call them "Ditch Tigers" and in the field, they are fair game. In town, I have used a Havaheart live trap and if I get a repeat offender, I do the old SSS. They are very easy to trap, using a HavaHeart. One problem that I have faced, is that our local animal shelter charges you a fee for turning one in that someone else did not care for. The last time I turned one of these in, I gave the folks at the shelter, a choice and they took it for free. ....

Many years ago, were were at our local dump, shooting rats and observed a white panel truck, backing up deposited a fairly large number of cats/kittens and puppies. These folks are also facced with the results of the general public not being responsible for their pets. ......

Be Safe !!!
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Last edited by Pahoo; August 7, 2011 at 10:24 AM.
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Old August 7, 2011, 10:06 AM   #16
Art Eatman
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For sure, the problem is not the animals themselves. The problem is irresponsible people. So, since there is no lack of irresponsibility, many a feral "pet" will be shot.
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Old August 7, 2011, 10:08 AM   #17
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We’re spaying and neutering the wrong animals.
I agree with this.

We have an office mascot stray cat; she provides an entertaining break from the dull workday. Luckily, the population density is low enough downtown that the strays aren't causing any problems for people.


I wish the various wildlife departments would start looking at the nuisance bears roaming suburban neighborhoods in various areas of the country like the young man looked at those feral cats. They are an avoidable danger in our environment that should be dealt with, IMO.
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Old August 7, 2011, 10:33 AM   #18
mete
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We used to have a problem with people from the city getting tired of their dogs and cats and abandoning them out in the country. That's not a problem anymore ,apparently the coyotes that are now here and taking care of them !!
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Old August 7, 2011, 12:36 PM   #19
mquail
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Feral cats are a lot like feral hogs, destructive. They kill millions of native birds each and every year.
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Old August 7, 2011, 01:18 PM   #20
JACK308
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I HATE CATS! so its no big deal to to kill one in the woods also I use use to trap them when I had a house the guy next door just let his run so I set up a cubby with a 160 conaibar that took care of the guys cats.
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Old August 7, 2011, 01:25 PM   #21
603Country
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Two things...the first being that somebody said that a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun was a toy. Nope...not just a toy. Back when I was a kid, my grandparents paid me a bounty of a nickel a sparrow, and my BB gun was what kept me in soda pop and burger money. The other thing is that all my neighbors out here in the country know that I don't want uninvited cats around my house, and they know full well what I'll do about it if the cats show up. So they kid me about bringing over 10 or 15 'extra' cats they have, but they are just kidding and we both know it. But just so ya know that I'm not a cold heated savage, the toughest thing I've done in 20 years was to put down our old cat. The wife cried for 2 days just thinking about what she was going to ask me to do. I didn't want to do it and hoped the old cat would just expire of natural causes, but it just wouldn't happen. So I was forced to do the thing that I dreaded, and it was just as tough as I thought it'd be.
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Old August 7, 2011, 01:41 PM   #22
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Being an avid cat lover (I have 4 all rescues).

I hate that people dump them all over when they don't want them.

I also understand that feral's are a huge problem all over the country. They do nothing but destroy like feral hogs. Feral cats serve no purpose in the wild. Seeing as we don't have kitty birth control that they will willingly take. the best solution is to remove them from the environment.

As for shooting with a bb gun. It might not have been the best idea but, it was done and it is over. No need to be so mean and rude about it.
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Old August 7, 2011, 02:14 PM   #23
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As a child, my family was beyond poor. We did nearly anything we could (honest work) for money.

Our next door neighbor had a dairy farm that was overrun by feral cats. They were clawing at the udders for milk. She said she'd give me a dime per cat if I shot them. I got 23 in one afternoon, 70 by the end of the week. Considering a box of .22 shorts were 80 cents, I made out pretty good.

Recently, we had a pair of ferals in the neighborhood. I can't fathom as to why, but they got in my garden and clawed up all my tomatoes and began using my boxes for their toilet.

If you ever wondered, yes, colibri bullets will kill a cat. Well, I know headshots will.
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Old August 7, 2011, 02:42 PM   #24
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Here it is illegal to shoot cats and dogs UNLESS they pose a direct threat to humans or livestock. I understand that in certain areas that they can become a huge problem, but I'm reluctant to see people shoot them as a first resort. There are far too many folks here that shoot them for fun and hide behind the excuse of how bad they are on wild game and song birds. You can see it in this particular thread already, as some act like they have accomplished something by shooting a cat.

Obviously there are different laws in different states, but I always think people need to THINK before they make a decision that is final. We have had several cases in this state where cats have been shot in town, only to turn out to be someones pet, in one case the mayor's, and it almost ALWAYS leads to a backlash against all hunters. One city banned bows within city limits after such an incident.

If you must kill cats (or dogs) make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. I sure would not want my son getting joy from killing cats, much like Jeffery Dahmer did. I would rather see him kick the ass of those who dump them. It's not the cats fault that they've been put in the situation they are in, and for that fact, it's hard for me to warrant the death penalty.
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Old August 7, 2011, 03:21 PM   #25
Pahoo
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Cats can't help being cats.

Quote:
If you must kill cats (or dogs) make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.
I have resolved this question a long time ago. By the way, I find that feral cats have a specific look and attitude. When you have seen enough of them, you will know what I mean. Some can be pretty nasty in more ways than one. Those are the ones that I send to that big cat-house in the sky. Once caught one with a pink collar and let it go back home. Our city does provide HavaHeart traps for use, at no cost. Currently have one Tom that makes his rounds and gives folks plenty of room. So far we have had no issues with him and for now, he gets a pass. ......

In the field, they get no benefit of the doubt. .....


Be Safe !!!
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